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C3«Co 



UNVEILING EXERCISES 

OF 

MEMORIAL TABLET 

TO 

Emerson Hamilton Liscum 

Brigadier-General U. S. Vols. 
Colonel 9th U. S. Infantry 



FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY 
BURLINGTON, VT. 



UNVEILING EXERCISES 

OF 

MEMORIAL TABLET 

TO 

EMERSON HAMILTON LISGUM, 

Brigadier-General U. S. Vols. 
Colonel 9th U. S. Infantry. 

FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY 

BURLINGTON, VT. 

10.30 A. M. 

APRIL 28, 1911 



Compliments of 
The Vermont Commandery, 
Military Order of the Loyal Legion 
of the United States 






A^ 



-<^^^^*MjUx^ 



PROGRAM. 

Music. "Ouw.'ird Christian Soldiers." Tenth U. S. Cavalry Band. 

Opening Remarks, Hon. Robert Roberts. Mayor of Burlington, 
and Chairman of Board of Library Commissioners. 

Prayer. Rev. John E. Goodrich. 1). I).. Cha))lain ^\■rmont Com- 
mandery, ^lilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United 
States. 

Music. "Star Spangled Banner," Tenth L^. S. Cavalry Band. 

Lnveiling of Tablet, Miss Theodora Agnes Peck. 

Presentation of Tablet to the Trustees of tlie Fletcher Free Li- 
brary. Gen. Theodore S. Peck. 

Recei)tion'of Tablet. Hon. William J. Van Patten. Chairman of 
the Board of Trustees. 

Music. "Glory Hallelujah," Tenth L^. S. Cavalry Band. 

For the State of Vermont. Hon. John A. ]\fead. Governor. 

For the United States Army. C\-ipt. Chas. T. Boyd, Adjutant lOth 
U. S. Cavalry. 

Music. ]\Iedlev of War Songs. Tenth U. S. Cavalry Band. 

For the \'ermont Commandery. Military Order of the Loyal Legion 
of the United States. Capt. Henry O. Wheeler, Recorder. 

For Stannard Post, Xo. 2, G. A. R., Comrade Richard J. Irwin. 
I'ith \'erm()nt Regiment. 

*For the li^th U. S. Infantry. Conn'ade Geo. B. Rand. Member of 
Regiment. 

^For Burlington Friends of Cien. Liscum. Hon. Flias Lyman. Act- 
ing President U. V. M. and S. A. C. 

Music. "America," Tenth U. S. Cavalrv Band. 



*Unable to be present. 



HON. ROBERT ROBERTS. 

Ladies tiiid (u'litlcnifii : 

Wc arc met together to commemorate the service and sacrifice 
of a soldier of the United States Army, General Emerson H. Lis- 
cum. Beginning as a Corporal of the 1st Vermont Volunteers and 
serving through tlie Civil War. Indian War and Spanish War. and 
again in the war in which the Dragon showed its fangs, he rose 
by continuous stejjs from the ranks to the grade of brigadier-gen- 
eral. He was wounded at Cedar ^Mountain, again at Gettysburg, 
severely at San Juan, and his Hnal sacrifice was when he met his 
de.-ith in front of the forts of the city of Tien Tsin. His color- 
bearer fell, he caught the flag and raised it and was himself shot 
and fell, dying. 

Now the Nation has done General Liscum honor; he has been 
reported in the official reports for gallant and heroic action ; he 
lies at rest in the National Cemetery at Arlington, and a monument 
has been erected to his memory upon the battlefield at Tien Tsin. 
where his last sacrifice was offered. 

His fame is in the Nation's keeping, but it is also in our keep- 
ing, for he was one of us. It is fitting that this tablet be erected 
iji this library, where, as time goes on, our children and children's 
children may spell out in the letters of enduring bronze the name of 
our hero and learn what it is to serve ones country with fidelity 
and honor, and what it means to follow the ])rofession of arms. 



PRAYER BY REV. JOHN E. GOODRICH. 

* * * * 

Aliniglity Father, wliost- knowledge is everlasting and whose 
power is infinite, have mercy upon the whole people, the President 
of our Country, the Governor of this State, and all in authority 
that they may know wliose ministers tliey are, and we the people 
know that they bear many burdens for us and may honor them for 
what they do. 

Holy Father, we give Thee thanks for our record in history, 
for the years filled with blessings since we became a Nation, for 
tlie stand taken by that Government for right and justice; we recol- 
lect with thankfulness the devotion to that cause, even when it 
called for the sacrifice of life. 

Today we bring thanks for one who might not with his lips 
have given voice to his love of his country but who counted it a joy 
as well as a duty to spring to her defense so courageously, and 
whose fidelity saved the lives of his countrymen. We ask that the 
sacrifice may not be in vain, that there may be no cessation 
of such lives, that we may prize the light and liberty of our coun- 
trv above all things and fearlessly serve her, until wars shall cease 
and the reign of God be established in all lands. And this we ask 
for his Name's sake. Amen. 

UNVEILING OF TABLET BY 
MISS THEODORA AGNES PECK. 




'2 bJD 



GEN. THEODORE S. PECK. 

Mr. Cliainnaii and Trustees of the Fletcher Free Lihrarij, Governor 
of the State, Mai/or of Burlingtot}, Officers of the United 
States Armfi, Coin panioiis and Comrades, Ladies and Gen- 
tlemen : 

From the time of tlie New Hampsliire Grants to the present 
day the Vermonter as a soldier has made a record which will ever 
remain the proud heritage of our peojjle and an ins])iration for 
courage and loyalty. In the Colonial and Revolutionary Wars, the 
War of 1812, the Mexican War. the War for the preservation of 
the Union, and the Spanish-American War, he w'as found in the 
front rank of the firing line, standing hy his colors and doing his 
full duty. Not among the least of these is he whose memory we 
are gathered here today to perpetuate — Brigadier-General Emer- 
son Hamilton Eiscum, a model Christian soldier, who gave his life 
in the service of his country at the siege of Tien Tsin, China, July 
13, 1900. 

Emerson H. Liscum. the son of John and Phehe Hamilton 
Eiscum, was born in Huntington, Chittenden County, July I6, 1811. 
In his childhood with his father's family he removed to this city, 
and here he received his education, early developing a taste for 
militarv life. When hut a mere boy he became a membi'r of the 
"Howard Guard of Burlington," one of the few uniformed militia 
organizations in Vermont at the outbreak of the Civil War, which 
was soon after mustered into the service of the United States as 
Com])any H. First ^^■rm()nt Infantry. When the firing on Fort 
Sumter awoke the North, young I>iscum was but nineteen years of 
age; on the ^nd of May. 18()1. he was enrolled as a Union volun- 
teer, a few days later going to the front as a cor))oral in Co. H. 

11 



He served with credit tlirouiili liis three months' enlistment, and 
in the course of this ser\ iee lie ))artiei])ated in the aetion at l?iu' 
Bethel. Va. l-'ehruary J. IS()'2. a few months after the dischar<.-e 
of the First Wrmoiit Ret-iment. lie enlisted in the l^^th I'nited 
States Infantry and joined the Army of the Potomac. As first 
sergeant of Co. A, Second Battalion, I'lith Infantry, he was ])resent 
at the bloody battle at Cedar Mountain. \'a.. Aui>ust <). 1S()'J. and 
was wounded in the left elbow. For gallant service in that en- 
gagement he was mentioned by name in the report of the battalion 
commander, as well as in the report of Major-Gen. Augur, com- 
manding the Division. 

February 1<). 18(),S, he was promoted to the rank of second 
lieutenant, and May Ith of the same year was made first lieutenant. 
At the battle of Chancellorsville, May 1 and "2. 18(i,S. he commanded 
his company, and on the second day of the battle of Ciettysburg. 
when the 12th Infantry suffered heavy losses in the \"alley of 
Death in front of Little Round To]). Lieut. Liseum fell with a seri- 
ous bullet wound in his right tliigh, which for a long time incapaci- 
tated him for service, but his ])atri()tic s])irit was so strong that 
even before he was able to discard his crutches he reported to the 
War Department for duty, and was ordered to Elmira, N. Y.. where 
was stationed a battalion of his regiment, Gen. Alexander S. Diven 
commanding the Post. It has been said, and I am inclined to be- 
lieve it true, that the youthful officer, his glorious record as a fighter, 
and the crutches resulted in a romance which terminated in his 
marriage with Gen. Diven's daughter, and todav inanv a soldier of 
the United States Army and his family bless the name of ^lay 
Diven Liseum. 

In the Wilderness campaign in May, ISfif, Lieut. I>iscum was 
detailed as an ambulance officer for his division of the Fifth Corps, 
and for coolness in danger and faithful performance of duty lie 
received high commendation. August 1. 1864, he was brevetted 
captain for distinguished gallantry in the battle of Betliesda Church 
and in the final cam))aign before Riclimond. 



12 



At the close of the Civil War he was promoted captain of the 
■J.-jth United States Infantr_v, July '28. 1866, and transferred to the 
.SOth Infantry September '21, 1866; Jidy 5. 1870, he was transferred 
to the ]<)th Infantry; May 1th. 18.')'2. promoted major '2'2nd In- 
fantry, and May '2.'ird, 1896, was made lieutenant-colonel of the 
x!ith Infantry. He was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers 
July 12, 1898. servina: in that capacity until the following Decem- 
ber, and on tlie ^.Itli of A])ril. 1899. was l^romoted colonel. 9th U. S. 
Infantry. 

For thirty years following the close of the ^^^■^r for tlie Union 
nnich of our hero's service was on tlie Western frt)ntier and in the 
campaigns against the Ute and other war-like tribes of the plains. 
In Cuba, during the Spanish-American War, Lieut. -Colonel Liscum 
commanded the 24th Infantry, which formed a part of the 5th Army 
Corps, and in the storming of San Juan Hill in the action of San- 
tiago, after Col. Wikotf and Uieut.-Col. Worth had Iieen killed 
within fifteen minutes of each other, the command of the Brigade 
devolved upon Col. Liscum; a few minutes later he fell, struck bv 
;i Mauser bullet, which passed through his right side and out 
tlirough the shoulder blade. The banks of the San Juan creek 
were covered with wounded men. and to the surgeon who came to 
him. Col. Liscum said: "Helj) those men first, they need it more 
than I do," and lifting himself upon his unshattered shoulder, he 
ordered back to the charging line such of the men near him as were 
fit for duty. His wound ))roved a serious one. from which he never 
fully recovered, but M'ith the careful nursing of his devoted wife, 
after a nine months' absence on sick leave he returned for duty 
for service in the Philippines. For his gallantry in Cuba he was 
])romoted a brigadier-general of volunteers. 

His service in the Philip])] nes was characterized bv the same 
faithful jierformance of duty as elsewhere, his wise and sound mili- 
tary judgment proving of great value, and to him was made the first 
surrender of a considerable body of organized insurgents. His 

13 



volunteer ai)]iointinf nt having lajjsed. Gen. I.iscinn was assigned 
t(. the i)th L'. S. Infantry, tlien on duty in Luzon, and in June. 
l.yoO;, when it became necessary to send troops to China, his regi- 
ment was the first selected from the United States Army in the 
Philiiijnnes. because of its splendid record and the full confidence 
reposed in the ability of General Liscum to })erform a difficult and 
trying duty under the eyes of the soldiers of England. France. 
Russia, Germany, Italy, Austria and JajDan. On the pth of July 
he landed at Taku with his command, 1,350 strong, and immediately 
pushed forward to participate in the assault on the walled city of 
Tien Tsin which took place on the 13th. Gen. Liscum. with two 
battalions of the <Hh Infantry, was sent into a position of extreme 
difficulty and danger, being exposed to a murderous rifle fire on front 
and flank. They found themselves in a cul-de-sac — before them the 
frowning city wall, with a deep moat outside, while upon their right 
flank stood a line of fortified mud houses, from which came a deadly 
enfilading rifle fire, and to silence this Gen. Liscum ordered his 
men to charge the houses. They had struggled to within forty 
yards of their destination when the color-bearer fell. Immediately 
the General seized and raised the colors, and a moment later went 
down, shot through the abdomen. To an officer who ran to him 
he said: "I'm hit. Get at them if you can. " Then to the men. 
"Don't retreat — kee]) firing." These were his last words. 

His body was brought to ^^'ashington and laid to rest with 
military honors in the National Cemetery at Arlington, President 
McKinley, members of his cabinet, and men of distinction in both 
military and civil stations })aying tribute to his memory, Vermont 
i)eing represented by the Adjutant and Quartermaster-General. At 
the close of the services President McKinley said to them that ^"er- 
mont liad many brave soldiers, but none braver than General Lis- 
cum. 

At the ,ige of fourteen, in July. IS,-).-), with Henry Torrey. 
Lewis Francis, Lincoln Benedict. Thomas liuekham. C. I>. Goodell 

14 



and thirty-one others, he made public confession of the Christian 
faith in the old First Church of Burlington, and through the whole 
forty-five years of a strenuous life he lived in faithful conforniitv 
to the vows then assumed. 

On tlie ith of November, ISyi, when a Captain in the 19th 
U. S. Infantry, he joined the Vermont Commandery, Military Order 
of the I.oyal Legion, and with INIajor-General Oliver O. Howard, 
U. S. A. (retired), Brig.-Gen. Stephen P. Jocelyn, U. S. A. (re- 
tired), Col. Herbert S. Foster, U. S. A. (retired). Admiral George 
Dewey. L'. S. X.. Rear Admiral Charles E. Clark, U. S. X. (re- 
tired), and others of the Army and X'avy materially assisted in 
establisliing for this Commandery the proud position it holds today 
among the twenty-one Commanderies of these United States. 

Emerson H. Liscum was indeed a "modest hero and a Christian 
soldier, without fear and without reproach." After his death a 
brother officer who knew him well said of him: "His military ca- 
reer was one continuous proof of liis indomitable courage and skill 
as a fighter, his energy and aggressiveness as a commander, and his 
constant devotion to duty, no matter what that devotion might in- 
volve. Personally he was the soul of honor and integrity, a pol- 
ished gentleman always, and a man whose physical aj^pearance 
always inspired confidence and respect. His soldiers idolized him. 
and his officers, even though they might differ with him, never with- 
luld from him that loyalty boru of esteem and admiration." 

"He scarce had need to doff his pride or slough the dross of Earth — 
E'en as he trod that day to God so walked he from his birth. 
In simpleness and gentleness and honoi' and clean mirth." 

On the 22nd day of October. 1902, the State of W'rmont hon- 
ored Gen. Liscum by placing his portrait near the entrance to the 
Hall of Representatives in the State House, Montpelier, an able 
address being delivered at that time by his long-time friend. Col. 
Geo. Grenville Benedict. A monument to his memorv has been 



15 



trcctcd by tlic officers and men of the Ninth Rcgiiueiit. United States 
Infantry, near the sj)ot where he fell on the battlefield at Tien Tsin, 
China. 

And now. .Mr. Chairnian. as one who j)layed marbles with him 
on the streets of Burlington in our boyhood days, went to school 
with him in the old academy, fought with him in the fearful foot- 
ball fights of those days, and marched with him in the "Howard 
Guard" when our boyish strength would scarcely permit of our 
carrying the hea\ y muskets which we later learned to use, I deem 
it a privilege and a pleasant duty to respond to the call of my 
friend, Mrs. I.iscum, and in her behalf to present to you this beau- 
tiful bronze tablet of her soldier husband. General Emerson H. 
I>iscum. which. I am sure, in your safe keeping will forever stand 
as a daily object lesson in true patriotism to this and future genera- 
tions. 



16 




Z c 



1^ 



HON. WILLIAM J. VAN FATTEN. 

Mr. Cliairniaii, Governor Mead, Mrs. Liscitm, Ladies and Gentle- 
men : 

It is with great pleasure and profound gratitude that on behalf 
of the Board of Trustees of the Fletcher Free Library I accept this 
biautiful memorial tablet of the patriot soldier. General Emer- 
son Hamilton Liscum. Tlie trustees are very glad that this l)uild- 
ing has lieen selected as the ajipropriate place for the permanent 
location of this memorial, and they assume its care with a deep 
sense of its value as part of the permanent possessions of tliis in- 
stitution. 

After the Christian church, the public library is the most direct 
agency for the uplifting of any community. It gathers its scores 
(.f individuals, older or younger, day by day, year after year, and 
tlirough its service gives to all something of the wisdom, the aspira- 
tion and the histoi-y of tlie past as these are recorded in the i)rinted 
pages. No part of that service is of higlier value or of greater 
interest than that wliich ministers to love of country and to the 
growth of true patriotism. 

The shelves of this library have lumdreds of books telling the 
story of our heroes, and of the great men who have labored, fought 
and died that this nation might be born and that it might be pre- 
served and fulfill its mission, among tliem being "Hester of the 
Cirants." by one of our own Burlingtonians, Miss Theodora Peck. 
IL is our earnest effort to ])r()mote the reading of these books. 

In all the annals of this Nation the record of Vermont is almost 
peerless; from the day of Ethan x\llen, Seth Warner, Remember 
Raker and their comrades to the day of Emerson Liseum, the Green 

19 



Mountain State has been at the front, where brave hearts haw 
been ready to ])our out their life-l)h)o(l for tlie cause of their country. 

We are glad tliat rejiresentatives of tlie (irand Army of the 
Republic are present with us on tliis occasion, and we remember 
wliat a list of honored names tliere are — Stannard, Wells, Benedict, 
and many otliers. who have passed on to the lilessed future, those 
whom we loved and wliose memory we delight to honor; but of them 
all there was no braver soldier, no truer patriot than tiie man whosi 
memory we honor today. 

His boyhood friend has already given you the story of his 
service from tlie time he joined the First Vermont Regiment through 
all his arduous career. In how many phases of our country's life 
did he serve! He defended her honor in the days of the Civil ^^'ar; 
upon the frontier he served to protect the builders of our empire ; 
he helped to rescue Cuba and set her free from the atrocities from 
which she was suffering; on the other side of the Pacific he helped 
to establish peace; and finally, in what was perhaps one of the 
most dramatic incidents of modern history, he led his men to aid 
in the rescue of the foreign legations at Pekin. It was one of the 
chances of war that his regiment was given perhajjs the most dan- 
gerous and difficult duty of the eam])aign. In his endeavor to 
fulfill that duty he yielded u)) his life. 

It is meet and worthy that this memorial, showing so beau- 
tifully the features of the man and the soldier, and recounting his 
deeds, should be jjlaced here where the peoi)le of his early home 
may note his record. We thank Mrs. Liscum, who has. in her de- 
sire to perpetuate his name and fame, so appropriately chosen this 
method. T repeat again that we accept the gift and assmne its 
care witli the ])urpose to make it of real value in the u])building of 
the appreciation of what our heroes have done for their country 
and thus to insjiire greater patriotism in the coming generation. 



20 



GOVKHXOK JOHN A. MKAD. 

Mr. Chairmen}, Mrs. Liscinn, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

The pangs of sorrow are ofttimes relieved somewhat by deeds 
of commemoration, by those living, of the good deeds and virtues 
cf the loved ones, that their memory may be kept alive. We love 
to visit the graves of our loved ones and sitting beside all that is 
left us of their mortal bodies, there to silently summon the memo- 
ries of our loved ones. There seems to be a certain satisfaction 
in such communion. It seems as if we were in communication 
with the soldiers when in company with the ninety-two millions of 
our people we celebrate what we call Memorial Day, when the 
graves of the heroes of '6l and 'Qo, and the soldiers of the Rebel 
Army as well, will be covered with nature's most beautiful flowers. 
It is a pleasure to think that the spirits of those who risked and 
lost their lives that the Nation might live are with us. And on 
this occasion it is a great pleasure to us to feel that while the l)ody 
of our hero lies at rest in Arlington, the spirit of General Liscum 
is here with us today. 

The influence of the life of General Liscum will not fade 
away as his body returns to the earth. It is such lives that give 
our Nation the place that she holds in history. I remember him 
at Big Bethel, again when charging against the rebels at Cedar 
Mountain, where he first fell stung by a rebel ^Mauser, and again 
at Gettysburg, where he Avas one of those holding Little Round 
Top and where he received another Avound from Avhich he suffered 
long. 

While in the Avords of the famous General of the Potomac, 
"all is quiet at Arlington," the si^irits of those that rest there are 
still Avith us. inciting us to great and noble acts. It is a great 

21 



))lt;isurr to me to !ic licrr on this occ/isioii .•iii(i to he :i\)\v to s;i\- a 
t'fw words on bthall of tlif Statf of WTuioiit in aj)j)rtciatiou of 
this tal)let so generously <>iven in memory of one of the sons of 
our State, ^^'e feel proud of General I.iseum. We feel proud of 
the history of Wrniont. ])roud of the jjlaee that she has held in 
the Nation, but mostly we feel proud of the men of Vermont. There 
is no degeneration of her people, as Mr. Rossiter has charged. I 
believe that we can revert to the history of any State in the Union 
and find that ^"ernlont stands on line with them all. on the firing 
line. 

As 1 jiave said, it is a pleasure to be here at this time and in 
this ])laee. It is the deeds of just such men as this that has kept 
our Nation one. that has kept our flag flying in the free air. and 
beloved in our hearts. 



(APT. CHAS. T. BOYD, U. S. A. 

Mr. ('li(tin)tau : 

I met (ieneral Liscum in Manila, he was in command there 
and I joined him, I went ashore with him. There was some fight- 
ing then, but little did I realize then that before I would return 
to my native land he would have met his death. He made his 
supreme sacrifice, when at the head of a thousand men he fell 
fighting. He gave his life that our ])eople within the walls of the 
City of Pekin might live. In the full strength of his glorious man- 
hood he passed on. His ])assing was that of a soldier. He 
marched on to glory. He lives in glory. His life was his daily 
dutv. His was a shining figure, an example by which we may 
measure our actions. In showing respect for his virtues we show 
that tliose virtues still live. In honorino- him we honor ourselves. 



CAPTAIN HEXRY O. WHEELER. 
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

April 1 ith, 186.'), our great and good President. Abraham I>in- 
coln. just as the dawn of ])eace was appearing after the long and 
sanguinary confliet. was stricken down by an assassin and on the 
following morning his mortal life came to an end. The announce- 
ment of liis death had hardly been made when a few of the Union 
officers met in Philadelphia to consider what action should be taken 
by tliem in the emergency. One conclusion reached b}^ these men 
was that a permanent patriotic organization should be formed, and 
they at once took the necessary steps to carry out this ])urpose, 
and the "Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States" 
was the result. April Lith, 186;), is therefore considered the birth- 
day of this Order, and on that day the name of x\l)raliam Li'icoln 
was enrolled as a member of the new organization. 

The two fundamental ])rinciples of the Order are, as might 
be expected from the occasion which gave rise to it and from the 
close connection with the life of President Lincoln — first. "A firm 
belief and trust in Almighty God"; and, second, "True allegiance 
to the United States of America." The objects of the Order are 
in i3art, "to cherish the memories and associations of the war 
waged in defense of the unity and indivisibility of the Republic; 
to strengthen the ties of fraternal fellowshi]) and syni])athy formed 
l)y comi)anionship in arms; to protect the rights and liberties of 
American citizenshi]), and to maintain National Honor. Union and 
Inde])endence." 

Thus the religions and political creed of President Lincoln 
found expression in the constitution of our Order. Of the or- 
ganization brought into life by the death of President Lincoln. 

23 



t'oruud on sucli (lt«|) aiu] hroad priiu-iplr^,. and for a jjurposc so 
])ure and lofty, lu' in whose lionor we arc gatlicrcd here today was 
a worthy conipanioij, and a striking fXfni))lification of the t-harac- 
teristics of the ()r(Ur. He was elected an Original C'oni])anion of 
llie First Class through the Commandery of the State of Massa- 
chusetts. April <). 1891, and transferred to the C'oniniandery of the 
State of Vermont. November i. 18.01. 

To the public this tablet is erected to General Lisenni. but 
to a few of us it stands as a memorial of the boy and youth, and 
the friend we knew as Emerson l.iseum. and today we recall the 
attractiA-e face and manly figure, the clear o])en eyes, tlu' air of 
firmness and self-reliance, and the direct and forceful bearing of 
our friend. And it was not strange that a young man of sueli 
qualities should be among the first to respond to his country's call 
for help when its life was in danger. Our friend was born to be 
a soldier, if there was need of soldiers, and born to connnand if 
there should be troojis to command. He loved peace, but when 
something more important than peace called him. he ])rom))tly 
responded "Here am I." Cieneral Liscum's career was remark- 
able. From the day he entered the First Vermont Regiment to 
the hour when, holding aloft the Stars and Stripes in the Celestial 
Kingdom, he gave his final command. "Don't retreat." his course 
was forward and upward. 

Wounded at Cedar Mountain, at (iettysburg, at San Juan, and 
finally at Tien Tsin ! What does that signify? This. He was 
always on the firing line. Consideration of personal safety when 
his command was called into positions of danger seemed to have no 
weight with him. He went wherever duty called him. His life 
was devoted to his country and he was ready if need be to make 
the su]n'eme sacrifice. In these days when so much is said about 
])acific adjustment of differences, there is danger lest we forget 
what ])art the Army and Xa\y have ))layed in the ])rogress of 
civilization and Christianitv. even in the historv of the world. 



Sacrifice is n condition of progress, and life from death is a law 
of the universe. Courage has always been regarded as a manly 
virtue, and the spirit of self-sacrifice is divine. 

^Vt• will hope and pray that universal peace shall prevail, and 
that war shall be no more, but meanwhile we will remember that 
jieaet'. when an obstruction to right progress, or when cou^jled with 
dishonor, should be broken in tiu' interests of humanity, and that 
there are some things worse than death and other things more 
precious than life. 

This tal)let with its record of a noble life, characterized by 
devotion to his country's fiag and all it stands for. by a courage 
that was sublime, liy a willingness to make any sacrifice, even life 
itself, for the country he loved, will be an incentive and an inspira- 
tion to all who read the words engraved upon it as long as tlie 
bronze shall endure, and thus the name of Emerson Hamilton Lis- 
cum have a ])ermanent })lace in the Roll of Honor of our country's 
jjatriots and heroes. 



COMRADE RICHARD J. IRNMN. 

Mcnihcr.s of the Loi/nl Lc(/i()ii, Comrades of the Post, Ladies (Did 
Gentlemen : 

With the boy Emerson Liscum I am well acquainted^ for aside 
from his own immediate family probably no one knew him better 
than I did. Our families were neighbors and friends and from 
the time he was eight or nine years old until he left school we 
spent most of our waking hours together. In winter we skated 
and slid down hill together and went to school at the little brick 
school house on Maiden Lane. Schools were different then; this 
was counted as good as any. The seats were arranged for two at 
a desk, the higher seats at the back of the room and lower down 
to the front row, what we called the ABC row. 

We went to school together and sat at the same desk, studied 
our spelling lesson out of the same dog-eared spelling book, and 
wrestled with the three R's together. Em. Liscum, as he then was 
called, was a good-natured boy, he was a general favorite with the 
boys. In all our games he was generally the leader. He liked 
to command even then, and while he was a little quick-tempered 
at times he was always fair in his decisions. He was set in his 
opinions and if he thought he was right in a thing he would hang 
on till the end. He showed then the traits that developed into the 
tine character later. 

Burlington then was not built up as it is now, it opened out 
beyond Pearl Street and most of the residents in that section had 
nice orchards ; and there were no two boys in Burlington who knew 
lietter where tlie fine, juicy sweet apples grew than Em. Liscum 
•ind I. 



When the Civil ^^^ar broke out and they called for volunteers 
we both enlisted. When my term expired I came home and en- 
tered civil life again, he kept on and took up the profession of arms 
as his work. I never saw him but once after the War, but I kept 
in touch with him all along, I knew what he was doing. He walked 
riglit up along the line to a brigadier-general, but when I look 
at that tablet I don't think of the General sitting before his tent 
in command of thousands of soldiers, but my mind goes back to the 
bright, manly little fellow that was my playmate between fifty and 
sixty years ago. 



The following is an extract from the sermon preached by the 
Rev. I. C. Smart, D. D., pastor of the College Street Congrega- 
tional Church. Burlington, Vermont, Sunday morning, April 30, 
1911. 

"The unveiling of the tablet in memory of General Liscum 
brings to mind a generation rich in brave, true men wlio made a 
new standard of manhood — men wlio. like Caleb and Joshua, in- 
spired a whole generation with their own spirit. The finest ex- 
pression of that mood is Lowell's Commemoration Ode. He wrote 
it while the fresh memory of his soldier brother was going through 
his mind." 

■"I see them muster in a gleaming row 
With ever youthful brows that nobler show; 
We find in our dull road their shining track; 

In every nobler mood 
We feel the orient of their spirit glow. 
Part of our life's unalterable good, 
Of all our saintlier aspiration; 

They come transfigured back, 
Secure from change in their high-hearted ways, 
Beautiful evermore, and with the rays 
Of morn on their white shields of exijectation." 



27 



IXSCRIPTIOX OX TABLET. 



Emerson Hamilton Lisctm. 



Born Huiitino-ton. Vt.. July 1(). 18U. 
Killfd Tien T.siii, China, July LS, UH)0. 

Enlisttd from Burlington. May 2. 18(jl. 

Corporal 1 Vt. Inf. \^ils. .'5 nios. 

Private Corpl Sergt. 2nd I>t.. 1st Lt., 12 Inf., U. S. A. 

Captain 25 Inf. ^lajor 22 Inf. 

Lt.-Col. 21 Inf. Colonel 9 Inf. 

Brig.-Gen. Vols. July. 18()8. 

Bvt. Capt. x\ug., 1864. 

for gallant service at Bethesda Church 

and during the Richmond campaign. 

'\^'ounded thrice. 

At Cedar Mountain. Gettyshurg, San Juan Hill. 

His last words as he raised aloft 

the fallen colors were 
Don't Retrk.\t. Keep Firing. 



A Modest Hero. A Ciiristi.\n Soldier. 
Without fear and without reproach. 



FREE PRESS 



H-19 89 














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